1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an artificial eyelash, and specifically to an eyelash extension.
The present application claims the benefit of priority based upon Japanese Patent Application No. 2010-197572 filed on Sep. 3, 2010, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 2011-1984 filed on Apr. 11, 2011, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 2011-1985 filed on Apr. 11, 2011, and Japanese Utility Model Application No. 2011-3725 filed on Jun. 30, 2011, the entirety of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
A set of false eyelashes is provided for adding length and volume to natural eyelashes and thus making eyes appear larger, more beautiful and more attractive. A false eyelash set is produced by tying a plurality of artificial eyelashes and providing a glue portion at an end thereof. The glue portion is attached to an eyelid of a user, and thus the false eyelash set can add length and volume to the natural eyelashes of the user (e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications Nos. 2008-231632 and 2005-146500). Such a false eyelash set is bonded to the skin of the user, and so makes the user feel uncomfortable and occasionally gives a rash to the skin of the user.
In the meantime, an artificial eyelash having substantially the same shape as that of a natural eyelash and adding length and volume thereto, namely, a so-called “extension” has been recently proposed (e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-24579). The extension (artificial eyelash) is not bonded to the eyelid but is directly bonded to an eyelash with glue. Therefore, the extension makes the user feel comfortable and has a lower risk of giving a rash to the skin of the user. Since one extension is bonded to one eyelash, such extensions can add length and volume to the eyelashes more naturally than the false eyelashes.
As described above, the extension is bonded to the eyelash with glue, and so can lower the risk of giving a rash to the skin as compared with a false eyelash, the glue component of which is in contact with the skin (eyelid). However, even though the glue is bonded to the eyelash instead of the skin (eyelid), when a user whose skin easily gets a rash due to an allergic reaction to the glue uses the extension, a volatile substance of the glue or the solidified glue may possibly cause a rash to the skin of the user. There is medical glue which does not easily cause a rash to the skin. However, it is merely that such glue does not easily cause a rash and it is not that such glue never causes a rash. Such glue is not commonly used in the industry of eyelash extensions and false eyelashes. In addition, such medical glue may cause problems in terms of costs because the materials thereof cost about 100 times higher than the glue typically used in the industry of eyelash extensions and false eyelashes.
Moreover, even if the glue does not cause a rash to the skin of the user, the smell of the glue may give a discomfort or cause sneezing or a runny nose to the user. These problems may be caused to both of the users and engineers who attach the extensions. However, the extensions cannot be attached to the eyelashes without glue, and such discomfort cannot be avoided. There is another problem that when the bonding surfaces have oil components or stains, the extensions are easily detached.
The extension disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-24579 has a recessed portion which covers at least ¼ of the eyelash of the user. A glue is applied to the extension having such a recessed portion, and the eyelash of the user is put into close contact with the recessed portion of the extension. Thus, the extension can be bonded to the eyelash. Owing to the close contact of the eyelash with the recessed portion, the bonding area size of the extension and the eyelash can be increased, which easily prevents the extension from being detached or slipped.
However, it takes a lot of time and labor to accurately fit the recessed portion to each of the eyelashes from below. An extension with no recessed portion (usual extension) can be bonded to the eyelash with glue; whereas in the case of the extension disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2010-24579, each eyelash needs to be fit to an inner face of the recessed portion of the extension. The extension with such a recessed portion is held by tweezers for operation, and so it needs time and labor to direct the inner face of the recessed portion upward each time.
The extension is not directly attached to the eyelid and so has a lower risk of causing a rash to the skin. For this reason, it has not been conceived to make the extension antibacterial in the industry of extensions. However, the extension is kept attached to the eyelid and so it is not preferable that bacteria are propagated in the extension.
The present inventor noted such problems of extensions, and conducted active studies in an attempt to solve the problems from a viewpoint different from the conventional viewpoint. The present invention, made in light of such a situation, has a main object of providing a novel artificial eyelash. Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide an artificial eyelash attachable with no use of glue. Another object of the present invention is to provide an artificial eyelash extension on which glue stays well. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an eyelash extension on which glue stays well and which is lightweight. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an eyelash extension which is antibacterial.